Combination automobile wheel and tire



July 2, 1940. s. TOMSIC COMBINATION AUTOMOBILE WHEEL AND TIRE FiledApril 23, 1938 INVENTOB. y Toms/a M M ATTORNEY.

.Patent ed luly 2, 1940 4 2,206,737

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIECE cormmnrron AUTOMOBILE WHEEL AND Guy Tomsic,New York, N. Y. Application April 23, 1938', Serial No. 203,794

7 Claims. (01. 152-418) The purpose of this invention is to provide anan automobile wheel of the disc type having a improvement in pneumatictires and in wheels sealed air reservoir formed in the disc portion uponwhich they are mounted which makes it thereof, and an auxiliary'innertube inside of possible to maintain a constant pressure in the the usualinner tube in the tire, with connections tire, and also to inflate apunctured tire autohaving pressure operated valves therein betweenmatically and while the vehicle continues in the tubes and reservoir,and an auxiliary pump motion. I for supplying air to the reservoir.

The invention is a wheel having a compressed Other features andadvantages of the inven-' air tank incorporated therein, and a pneumatiction will appear from the following description 10 tire on the rim of.the wheel with the usual inner taken in connection with the drawing,wherein: m tube and also with an auxiliary inner tube, with Figure 1 isa view showing a cross section of a both tubes connected to the air tankthrough tire withthe upper part of a wheel, showing a automatic valveswhereby a constant pressure compressed air Chamber in e e and also maybe maintained in the outer tire, and also showing a small auxiliary pumpincorporated whereby the auxiliary tube may be inflated when therein. w

. the outer tube is punctured, said auxiliary tube F gure 2 is a detailshowing the arrangement positioned within the outer tube and adapted toof the valves. expand to form a continuous lining for the said Fig e 3is a e a s w an auxiliary P e outer tube. sure control device which maybe used in combi- Automobile tires and inner tubes have been nation withthe air reservoir. provided with auxiliary tubes, and wheels have Figure4 s a d t s w an alternate been provided with air tanks, and these tanksrangement in which each tube is provided with have been connected to thetubes through autoan independent valve, and a sep t a hose matic valves,but in order to make this combinais p ov d d fo upp r from the reservoirtion practical it has been found necessary to use to t e be a continuousauxiliary tube inside of the normal F u e 5 is a similar View showing analternate,

tube, with the compressed air reservoirs in the design in Which a singleValve is usetifol t tWO wheels connected to and adapted to supply airinner tubes.

to both the said tubes. Figure 6 is a similar section showing valves in-The object of this invention is, therefore, to corporated in a,Compartment in the said air 30 provide an automobile tire with the usualinner a tube, in which means is provided for supplying Figure 7 is aview showing a side elevation of air thereto from an air reservoir inthe wheel to a Portion of he Wheel W a P e gauge maintain a constantpressure therein. incorporated therein- Another object is to provide anautomobile tire In the aw g e v ce is s ow a it y 35 with the usualinner tube, and an auxiliary inner be made, wherein numeral I indicatesan outer tube inside of the former tube, with means for tire or casing,numer l an in r tube, numeral automatically supplying air to both ofsaid tubes, an auXiliary inner t numeral a W and particularly to theinner tube when the outer d numeral a valve Casing- 1 40 tube has beenpunctured. The outer tire or shoe may be of any type or Another objectis to provide means for prolongdesign. and y e secured o e Wh in y ingthe life of automobile'tires by maintaining a. manner. The inner tube 2may a s he of. y

constant pressure therein. type, and may be provided with the usual typeof A further object is to provide means for mainvalve, how may bepreferred to combine taining a constant pressure in an automobile tirethe valve of the inner tube 2 with thevvalve of the 45 from a eser oirWithin the ,tvheel, in ,which an auxiliary tube 3, as it is desired thatthese valves auxiliary pump is provided for maintaining a, cooperate. Itis also understood that these tubes relatively high pressure in thereservoir, are positioned inside of the tire I, with the auxil- And astill furtherobject is to provide means iary tube 3 inside of the tube2, and with the tire for maintaining a constant pressure in an autoandtubes mounted upon a rim 6 which may be 50 mobile the even though thetire may have been of any type or design, and the rim is providedpunctured which is relatively simple so that it t e periphery f theWheel 4 Which ay have makes it possible to provide a wheel of a simple ahub 1 adapted to be bolted to the hub of an and economical construction.axle of a motor vehicle by a flange 8, or in the u with these ends inview the'inventlon embodies usual manner.

The wheel-'4 is in theformof a disc wheel with an outer continuous.surface, andalso with an inner continuous surface preferably formed by aplate 9 bolted or welded to flanges l0 and II of the wheel. It isunderstood, however, that the reservoir l2 in the wheel may be formed inany manner or by any means.

A compartment I3 is provided in the wheel and positioned within thereservoir I2, and a screw plug I4 is provided in the outer surface ofthe compartment so that the plug maybe removed to provide access to thevalves positioned therein.

It is understood that, although these valves are shown in detail inFigure 2, any type of automatic valve for regulating the air from thereservoir or tank l2 to the inner tubes may be used, and these valvesmay be located at any suitable points.

The valve 5 is formed with a body, as indicated- 'This plug may beprovided with a nut 23 for holding the plug in the rim 6 of the wheel.The plug I9 is connected bya coupling member 24 to a member 25 threadedin the end'of the cylinder l5, and, although these connections are onlyillustrated with fittings, it will be understood that they may be formedin any manner to prevent leakage of air. The plug l9 and member 25,therefore, provide a passage from the interior of the inner tube 2 tothecylinder 15 so that'the pressure of air in the tube will be exertedagainst the end of the piston l1, and this pressure'is exerted upon avalve 26 through a rod 21 holding the valve against a seat 28 in abushing 29, and the bushing is connected to the reservoir l2 through afitting 30 which is connected to a wall 3| of the reservoir l2.

It is intended to have air under comparatively high pressure inthe-reservoir l2, and this air acts against the upper end of the valve26 through the passage 32in the bushing 29, and it will be noted thatthe area at the end of the valve is comparatively small as compared withthe area' at the end of the piston l1, so that, with the pressure in thetire considerably less than the pressure in the reservoir, thev pressurein the tire will hold the valve closed, however, when this pressuredrops below a certain amount, the pressure inthe reservoir incombination with a spring 33 will force the valve away from the seat28,'and air may pass around the valve and through a passage 34, to thecylinder l5, and from there into the tire. Air may continue to passthrough this passage until the pressure in the tirereaches, apredetermined amount, and the area on the end of the piston shall be inproportion to the area at the end of the valve, so that a constantpressure may be maintained in the tire, and, as this pressure drops,,itwill be automatically suppleinented by air. from the reservoir.

When the tire is punctured'so that the air therein may escape, thepressure will drop considerably, and the valve 26 will be forced againstthe seat 35 .due to the action of the spring 33 in combination with'thereduced pressure in the tire, and this will be held against the seat aslong the inner tube 2 will .be closed to the reservoir. With this valveclosed and, at the same time, with the pressure in the tube Z reduced,the tube 3 may expand and the pressure therein will drop so that the airfromthe reservoir will then pass through the cylinder l6, filling theauxiliary tube 3 which will expand and fill the area inside of the tube2, the thickness of the tube 2 acting as a cushion to protect the tube 3from the nail or other object that may be projecting through the wall ofthe tire which has punctured the tube 2. At the same time, the othervalve 36, communicaing-with the cylinder l6, operates in a similarmanner to the valve 26, and, when there is no air in both tubes, thevalve 36 will function to keep the pressure in the auxiliary tube equalto that in the inner tube; however, the by-pass or pas- .sage 31 aroundthe cylinder I6 opens into the valve chamber instead of below the valve,so that, when the pressure in the auxiliary tube 3 drops, all of the airin the reservoir may pass directly into the auxiliary tube 3 to maintaina constant pressure therein as long as possible. The part of the valve 5in which the cylinder I6 is located is connected to the plug 20 withfittings similar to those connecting the cylinder I5 to the plug l9,

and the inner end of the plug 20 extends through the inner tube 2 intothe auxiliary tube 3. The

valves 26 and 36 are shown threaded into the pis- 'in inner tube valves;the passage 39 opening through an enlarged head 4| with openings 42therein into the inner tube 43 similar to the tube 2, and the passage 49opening through a head 44 into an auxiliary tube.45 similar to the tube3. The outer end of the valve 38, the body of which is enlarged toaccommodate two ordinary valves, is provided with a fitting 46 having athreaded nipple 41 thereon corresponding to the-end of the usual valve,and adapted to receive the usual valve cap or pump or air pressureconnection so that air under pressure may be supplied to both tubes and,at the same time, through this valve, and, when the inner tube 2 ispunctured, the valve in the passage 39 may be screwed downward to closethis tube s 0 that air may then be supplied only to theauxiliary tube 3|which will expand the same as her'einbe'fore explained for the tubesshown in Figurel in combination shown in Figure 2.

These inner and auxiliary tubes may. also be partment so that the valvecaps may be removed and air supplied to either tube through theconnection 50. These valves and tubes are located in a compartmentsimflar tothe compartrnenttl3,

and this is provided with a cover or. closure 5| similar to the closurel4.-

At a point directly opposite the compartment l3, the wheel may beprovided with another compartment'62 having a small hand pump 53 thereinsimflar to 'pumps normally used for automowith the valve bile jacks,and, with this pump, air may be forced into the reservoir l2 so that aconstant pressure may be maintained therein. The compartment 52 may beprovided with a cover plate 54 held by a screw 55 so that this may bemoved out of the way when it is desired to supply additional air to thereservoir l2. This compartment may also be provided with a screw plug orvalve 56 similar to the usual inner tube valve, and, through this valve,air may be supplied to the reservoir l2 from the compressed air hosenormally found at gas stations.

The reservoir 12 may also be provided with a pressure gauge 51, asindicated in Figure 7, and this may be embedded in the outer surface .orfront of the wheel 4, as shown, or located at any point or points, andit will be understood that a gauge of any type may be used.

In the design shown in Figure 3, an auxiliary automatic air pump isillustrated, in which an auxiliary pump 58 is located in a compartmenton the wheel, and this is actuated by a lever 59 pivotally mounted atthe point 60, and.

the lever is controlled by a cylinder SI and resiliently held by aspring 63.

The cylinder BI is connected by a connection 62 to the air reservoir l2,and, when a predetermined pressure remains therein, the air pressure inthe cylinder 6| will hold the lever 59 in the position shown, andprevent a weight 64 on the end thereof being thrown outward bycentrifugal motion; however, when the pressure in the reservoir l2 dropsbelow a predetermined amount, the centhe upper side of the wheel, asshown in Figure 3, the weight 64 in combination with the spring 63 willcounteract the centrifugal force so that the weight will drop downwardand raise the plungerin the pump 58, and then, as it passes over thecenter or on'the under side of the Wheel, the centrifugal force incombination with the Weight will draw'the weight outward and force thepump plunger inward. It will be understood, however, that any automaticdevice may be provided for maintaining a constant pressure in the tire.

Both of the inner tubes may be of the same thickness, or the auxiliarytube inside of the inner tube may be much thicker than the inner tube,and it will also be understood that the outer surface of the inner tubemay be padded, or the thickness thereof increased to form a cushionprotecting the auxiliary tube from punctures and the like.

It will be understood that other changes may be made without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. One of which changes may be in the useof other means for automatically transferring air from the wheelreservoir to either of the tubes in the tire, another may be in the useof other means for maintaining a constant pressure in the wheelreservoir, and still another may be in the use of this combination ofreservoir, tubes and automatic regulating means incombination with aplurality oftires such as used on truck wheels or with tires used forany other purpose.

The construction will be readily understood from. the foregoingdescription. In use the device may be provided as shown and described,and it will be understood that with the parts arranged to function asdescribed the auxiliary tube will remain inside of the inner tube, withvalves communicating with both tubes, and normally both tubes will beinflated, with the auxiliary tube in about the position shown in Figure1, and, with the automatic valve 5 operating normally, a constantpressure will be maintained in the inner tube 2 so that the tubes willremain in their respective positions; however, when the inner tube 2 ispunctured so that the pressure therein will be materially reduced, theautomatic valve will operate to supply suflicient air to the auxiliarytube 3 to inflate it so that it will form a lining for the inner tube 2,and, with the normal type of puncture, the auxiliary tube 3 will beprotected from the object causing the puncture by the inner tube 2, andthen the valve 5 will function to maintain a constant pressure in theauxiliary tube 3 and in order to maintain a constant pressure in theinner tubes, it is necessary to maintain a substantially constantpressure in the reservoir I2 so that an auxiliary pump is provided bywhich air may be supplied to the reservoir or, as the air hose pressureat gasoline stations is sufliciently high, this may be used to supplythe air to the reservoir l2 if desired. This combination of theauxiliary inner tube inside of the regular inner tube with the reservoirmakes it possible to be assured of sufiicient air in your tire at alltimes, and guarantees against all ordinary punctures.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A combination automobile wheel and tire comprising a wheel having acompressed airreservoir therein, a tire, an inner tube, an auxiliaryinner tube insideof said inner tube, a connection between the tube andauxiliary tube and reservoir, and automatic valves in said connectionadapted to maintain a constant pressure in said tubes and tire.

2. In a vehicle wheel of the disc type having a pneumatic tire on therim, with an inner tube therein and a valve extending from said tubethrough a rim of the wheel, a compressed air reservoir in said wheel,and automatic means for supplying air to the inner tube from thereservoir as the pressure in the inner tube falls below a predeterminedamount, characterized by an auxiliary inner tube inside of the formertube and connectedto the said.v automatic air supplying means whereby aconstant pressure will-be main tained in said auxiliary tube.

3. In a vehicle wheel of the disc type having a pneumatic tire on therim, with'an inner tube therein and a valve extending from said tubethrough a rim of the wheel, a compressed air reservoir in said wheel,and automatic means for supplying air to the inner tube from thereservoir as the pressure in the inner tube falls'below a predeterminedamount, characterized by an auxiliary inner tubeinside of the formertubeand connected to the said automatic air supplying means whereby aconstant pressure will be maintained in said auxiliary tube, and furthercharacterized by shut-off means whereby all air will be supplied to theauxiliary inner tube when the normal inner tube is deflated by punctureor the like.

4. In a. vehicle wheel of thedisc typ having a hub and rim, with apneumatic tire on the said rim, an air reservoir in the said wheel, aninner tube in the said pneumatic tire, an auxiliary :in-

ner tube inside of the said former tube, an automatically operated valvefor supplying air from the reservoir to both the auxiliary inner tubecylinders, one communicating with the inner tube and the other with theauxiliary tube. with both cylinders connected to the air reservoir, andin combination therewith means closing the connection through the innertube when the inner tube has been punctured. 6. A wheel, as described inclaim 4, in which 5 the automatic valve is incorporated in acompartme'nt in the wheel with a closure adapted to be readily removed.1 y

7. In combination with a wheel as described in claim 4, means throughwhich air may be sup- 10 plied to the reservoir.

GUY TOMSIC.

